What's in season in December?

Seasonal December dishes

December is arguably one of the biggest months of the year for food-lovers with feasts and gatherings aplenty. Find inspiration for your cooking with our pick of December's seasonal produce.

Vegetables

December means greens in the shape of broccoli, cabbage, kale, leeks and sprouts. Cauliflower also comes into season during the month and there are plenty of root vegetables to cook with such as swede, beetroot, carrots, parsnips and salsify.

Don't forget maincrop and sweet potatoes as well as Jerusalem artichokes, wild mushrooms and winter truffles.

Meat

Turkey might steal the spotlight later this month, but it's not the only meat to consider. A plump, free-range chicken or rib of beef make excellent crowd-pleasing dinner party or Christmas alternatives, while goose, grouse, duck and venison are among the game options. This is also a great month to try rabbit dishes.

Fruit

It's a quiet month in the calendar for local British produce except for a few varieties of apples, like Braeburn and Pink Lady, and late season pears. But December is synonymous with imported bright-hued fruits: clementines, satsumas, tangerines and pomegranates.

If you've got a sweet tooth, this month brings plenty of opportunities for festive baking. Cranberries, chestnuts, hazelnuts and walnuts are all in season too.